Plant ?

[TwoRivers]

His plant has randomly started about a couple months ago ( tank has been up and running six months ) anyone know what it is and is it good or bad?

 

[54seaweed]

looks like fern caupulara it can go sexual

it can be both good and bad depending if you know how to maintain it correctly
but most just remove it cause its a fast grower

 

[mr_X]

Sargassum would be my guess.

 

[IslandHopper]

If you don't mind doing the maintenance (or the aesthetics)... letting fast growing plants do their thing and pruning them regularly is a fairly good way to remove Nitrates from the system!

 

[Leonardo7689]

I have to say sargassum algae as well

 

[TwoRivers]

It does look like sargassum is that a keeper ? Opinions?

 

[MINItron]

I would say any macro algae is a keeper as long as it is growing. It will lock up nitrogen, and you can remove it by pruning the algae when it starts to over grow. It just means that you must be diligent for signs that it is starting to die. In which case you would need to remove it immediately.

 

[mr_X]

Not all macroalgae can foul a tank in the event of a sexual event. Caulerpa is the only one I know of actually. I don't think it's that dangerous to have a small plant, or animal for that matter, die in the tank. The mass of the thing that's decomposing and the size of your system would dictate how big of an issue it would be.

If you like the look of the plant, I would leave it. Personally, I think there are many other types of algae that are nicer looking than sargassum.

 

[MINItron]

I was thinking more of the release of stored nitrogen when algae stays to decay. Caulpera can release toxins when it goes through a sexual event, and yes it is the only genus that I know of that does that.

I had a small bundle of red macro algae go sexual on me once. It disintegrated before I noticed what was happening. Then it started sprouting all over the tank. The young sprouts were too tempting for the herbivores though and they were all quickly consumed.

 

[TwoRivers]

Also we have pulled some live rock out it died not enough light, and found these attached spiky white things

 

[Leonardo7689]

Sponges